Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

Benedict Joseph Labre was born on March 26, 1748, in the village of Amettes near Arras in northern France, the eldest of fifteen children in a prosperous family. Drawn early to God, he studied under an uncle who was a parish priest and longed for monastic life, yet repeated attempts to enter the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians ended in rejection or failing health. In prayer he came to believe the Lord was calling him to a different path: not the cloister, but the open road. He entered the Third Order of Saint Francis and embraced a hidden life of radical poverty, walking as a pilgrim to the great shrines of Europe—Rome, Loreto, Assisi, Santiago de Compostela, and many more—begging only what was needed and often sharing even that with others. Quiet, prayerful, and patient under ridicule, he became known in Rome for his intense love of the Eucharist and hours spent in adoration. He died of exhaustion and malnutrition in Rome on April 16, 1783, and is venerated as the patron saint of the homeless. His feast day is April 16.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844, in Lourdes, in the French Pyrenees, the eldest daughter of a poor miller’s family. Frail from childhood and often sick with asthma, she grew up in hardship so severe that her family lived in a single-room former jail. At fourteen, while gathering firewood near the grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette began to receive a series of eighteen apparitions between February 11 and July 16, 1858. She described a “young lady” who called for prayer and penance, asked that a chapel be built, and directed her to a spring whose waters soon drew countless pilgrims. In the sixteenth apparition the lady identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception,” a title that deeply confirmed the Church’s faith in Mary’s grace. After careful investigation, the apparitions were declared worthy of belief, and Lourdes became a great shrine of healing and hope. In 1866 Bernadette entered the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, living humbly until her death on April 16, 1879. Her feast day is April 16.

Saint Engratia was born in Braga, in what is now Portugal, and from her youth she belonged wholly to Christ as a consecrated virgin. Tradition says she was promised in marriage to a nobleman from Roussillon, and set out toward Gaul under the protection of her uncle Lupercius, accompanied by a small company of noble companions and a servant named Julia. Passing through Zaragoza, they found the city shaken by a fierce persecution of Christians under the governor Dacian. Moved by courage and charity, Engratia sought to dissuade him from his cruelty, openly confessing her faith when questioned. For this witness she was scourged and imprisoned, and she died from her wounds, sealing her fidelity with martyrdom. Her companions were likewise put to death, and Engratia came to be honored among the Martyrs of Zaragoza, whose memory spread throughout Spain and the Pyrenees. Churches were dedicated in her name, including those that remain places of prayer today. Saint Engratia is commemorated on April 16.

Saint Contardo of Este was born in 1216 in Ferrara, the posthumous son of Aldobrandino I of Este, marquis of Ferrara. Though heir to wealth and honor, he freely renounced his position as crown prince, choosing instead the humility of a pilgrim and “a man of God.” Drawn by love for Christ and the desire to live simply, he set out on pilgrimage toward Santiago de Compostela. In 1235, King Andrew II of Hungary named him a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, recognizing his noble character and devotion. On his journey Contardo fell gravely ill in Broni, in Lombardy, and died there. He was first buried on the hill where he passed away, and soon the faithful reported healings and other favors at his grave. His body was later brought with honor to the parish church of Saint Peter in Broni, which would become a minor basilica, and his veneration spread. His cult was officially approved in 1609. Saint Contardo is patron of Broni. His feast day is April 16.

Saint Drogo was born on March 14, 1105, in Épinoy in the County of Artois, in the French part of Flanders. Orphaned at birth—his father having died before he was born and his mother dying in childbirth—he was raised by relatives. When he learned the sorrowful circumstances of his beginning, his heart turned more fully toward God. At twenty he gave away his wealth, renounced his inheritance, and embraced a life of poverty and penance. After visiting holy places, he settled near Sebourg as a shepherd in the service of a noblewoman, Elizabeth de la Haire. In the quiet of the fields he devoted himself to prayer, charity, and humble work, sharing his skill in caring for animals and giving away any gifts he received. Tradition even held that he was seen in church and in the pastures at the same time, a sign of his deep union with God. Longing to flee praise, he made many pilgrimages, especially to Rome. Later, hindered by illness, he lived as an anchorite in a small cell against the church wall for forty-five years, worshiping through a window and offering counsel to those who came. Venerated especially as patron of shepherds—and also invoked by some as patron of ugliness—he died in Sebourg on April 16, 1186. His feast day is April 16.

Saint Turibius of Astorga was born in Spain, though the place and date of his birth are not known. By the mid-fifth century he was serving the Church as archdeacon of Tui, distinguished for his zeal, learning, and firm love for the unity of the faith. Chosen as bishop of Astorga, Turibius became a vigilant shepherd of his people, strengthening ecclesiastical discipline and guarding the flock against error. In a time when Priscillianism troubled Galicia with distorted teaching, he stood as a courageous defender of Nicene Christianity, laboring to preserve the Church’s true confession of Christ. His steadfast witness drew the support of Pope Saint Leo the Great, whose surviving letter reflects the esteem in which Turibius was held. In 446 he convened a local synod, seeking to heal divisions and guide the faithful in truth. Turibius died at Astorga in 460 and was soon revered as a saint. Tradition holds that his relics, along with a fragment of the True Cross he brought from Jerusalem, were later transferred to Liébana. He is honored as patron of Astorga. His feast day is April 16.